Mother left disgusted after photo of ‘smirking’ cop giving ‘thumbs up posing with dead son’s body’
Kim Staton said police are supposed to 'protect' when they attend a call and now she wants answers
A MOTHER has been left devastated after discovering what is alleged to be a photo of a cop smirking and giving the thumbs up posing next to the body of her dead son.
Kim Staton from St Louis, US said she will "never know" what happened to her boy Omar Rahman, who was found in a home by officers.
But she was left hurt and upset when the photo came to light which appeared to show him lying on the floor and his wrist being held by a cop who was sent to the scene posing in a highly inappropriate manner.
She told : "When they (the police) come to a call, they're supposed to be there to help and protect, not doing what he was doing with thumbs up and a smirk on his face.”
The news network chose to blur the body and the North County Cooperative officer, as no wrongdoing has been determined at this time.
The cop has gloves on as he poses with the body.
Antonio Romanucci, Staton's attorney, branded the photo "hideous" and said: "The implications of this photograph are just astronomical.
“I have seen thousands and thousands of forensic photographs, I have never seen a staged photograph of an officer next to a deceased body.”
He called for an in-depth investigation into the picture after it was revealed the police camera allegedly went missing for a time.
Related Stories
North County Co-op Chief Tim Swope refused to go on-camera and speak to the news program, and said there was an internal and external investigation going on into the incident.
Former St. Louis Chief Dan Isom said: “I don't know why he's raising his thumb in the air, I don't know what he's doing at that point, I can't explain why you would be doing that in the photo, but certainly there are reasons why a person might turn a body over, view it, for signs of trauma."
Staton ha now launched a lawsuit to try and get to the bottom of what happened in the photo: "I'm looking for some answers.
The network KMOV-TV was sent a letter from a lawyer acting on behalf of North County Police Cooperative (NCPC) which claimed the photo was "stolen property."
It went on to state "NCPC does not believe it is appropriate to comment on a matter related to 2 open criminal investigations."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368